The morning news just reported today as the coldest morning of the year. February is like that, cold and dismal. "Death Month" my mother called it, because both her parents died in February, Poppy on Ash Wednesday (which we just had last week) and Grandma on Leap Year Day February 29. Timmy and I are off to Florida Thursday, Valentine's Day, so I can almost take this brutal weather. It did remind me of one of our winter Bus Entertainment skits. Bus Entertainment started and ended in school year 2001-2002. My granddaughter Atticus had started kindergarten and I would wave to her as the bus went by. Then we had 9/11 and the faces in the bus reflected the fears and uncertainties we all felt. I thought how hard it must be for the kids to understand this event, so I didn't just wave my hand, I waved a flag, and got a couple of smiles. Next day I waved two flags and got a little more attention. The next day as I was waiting, Timmy came outside, brushing his teeth. The bus went by, the kids spotted Timmy brushing his teeth and he became an instant hit. I then realized that we could do more than just wave and we invented quick skits, just seconds long as the bus went by. One day I dressed in Tim's suit, and he wore one of my dresses, complete with accessories, handbag, etc. We pretended to play chess, Timmy put a ladder against the tree in the front yard and waved from there. It went on and on as we became more creative with our few seconds of entertainment. One cold day, maybe even in February, we came up with the best skit yet, or so the school bus driver told my daughter Laura later in the afternoon. Tim and I had thought of a summer scene in the snow - Kiddie pool, bathing suits, beach chairs, beach balls, etc. Laura wanted to be a part of it - she said she could put Atticus on the bus in Tivoli and get to our house before the bus came to Clay Hill Road since it had to pick up kids all over in Tivoli first. So we got out the props, put on long underwear with bathing suits on top and the beach chairs were positioned in the front lawn in the snow. Laura drove up fast and approved of the scene. I asked if Atticus had any idea of what we were doing, and Laura said that Atticus had asked why was she wearing her bathing suit and Laura had told her she had run out of clean underwear! Anyway, we heard the sound of the bus and got into position. I was on a beach chair wearing sun glasses, reading a book, and Tim was in the Kiddie pool and Laura and he were throwing a beach ball back and forth. The bus came slowly down the road, the bus driver paused for a few seconds, and the kids all stared then off they went. I often wondered what the kids told their parents that night, or what the bus driver told the other bus drivers, but we never heard. Bus entertainment ended when one kid lowered the window and yelled "Get a Life" but we were tired of show business anyway. February does that to you, wears you down. Saturday mornings I go to the thrift shop in Tivoli with Sabra. This week the usual crowd was there and one person was writing a check. What day is it? was posed and we all had different answers.."I think it's the 10th", "No, I think it's the 17th", "Tuesday was the 5th"...on and on until a calendar was produced. It's just February, the month that wears you down so one day is like the next, not even worth given a number, just get us through Death Month one more time.